Of the common and easily affordable dies, I find Redding to be the best.
RCBS is a good compromise. They're cheaper than Redding, but have a good warranty. They're finished better than Lee dies, but not much more expensive.
I won't touch Lee dies, unless I have no other choice. I'll spare you the details, as we've gone over it many times in this forum. The short version is: I wasted money on
several bad dies from Lee, and their customer "service" failed to address the issues to my satisfaction.
I've never found Hornady dies to stand out from others, for any reason. It's nothing special, but I do like the sliding collar seating dies.
Lyman makes some very nice dies... but the Redding version is always priced lower.
A good example of how I use different brands of dies, is a wildcat I load with .243 Winchester dies. I bump the shoulder on .243 brass with a Redding FL die, then squeeze the base with an RCBS small base die, and seat bullets with a Hornady sliding collar seating die. I mix and match to get the desired "best" result.
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Their locking rings turn me off
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They work and better than my RCBS rings.
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Come on, guys. You know that's just personal preference.
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Some people like Fords, others like Chevys . . .
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When applying that argument to something, remember: Ford and Chevy have traditionally tailored their trucks to different segments of the population (though there have been times, where the vehicles didn't do their designed jobs well).
Traditionally, Ford designed their vehicles to be more of a "work truck". As such, they had undesirable ride characteristics, and more of an "industrial" feel. And, Ford generally designs their truck engines with a focus on torque.
Traditionally, Chevy designed their vehicles to be more of a "people's" truck. As such, the ride was much nicer, and the feel was more car-like. And, Chevy engines are generally designed with a focus on Horse Power, not torque.
They appeal to different people, and are useful in their own ways. It's not always just an emotion-based reflex response. For some people, Ford really
is the better truck. For some people, Chevy really
is the better truck.
The same arguments can be made for any die manufacturer. They all have their own design focus, and intended use. For some people, <insert any die brand> really
is the best.
Take into account what it was designed to do, and how it is being put to use, before you condemn an entire brand. (I had my own reasons, to write off Lee.)